50 Shades of Fear

6 Techniques to Overcome the Fear of Flying and Life

As the departure date for my around the world trip scheduled for May 18, 2015 nears, it seems appropriate to address the issue of fear once again. In the last few days I’ve had family and friends contact me about their concerns about the risks I’m taking. Some have asked me to cancel my trip and others seem compelled to share their version of what could happen to me. Sometimes this is in graphic detail. It’s clear that my trip is bringing up their fears. I remind myself that their fears are not mine. I don’t need to take them on.

My plate is full.

With respect to my trip, and the associated risk, it’s honestly one I’m willing to take. I would rather pursue my passions and fail miserably than to ignore them.

That being said, I can get on with dealing with my fear. And as a pilot who flies over oceans, deserts, mountains and other “inhospitable terrain” on a regular basis, I’m well versed on this topic. I’d like to suggest some ways to help get yourself past these fears and live a more adventurous and fearless life.

Mitigate the Risk

Break the risk down into the smallest pieces and mitigated them individually. My greatest fear on this trip is what happens if I need to ditch in the open ocean? The good news is statistics indicate that 95% of people survive the water impact. My plane has airbags installed to improve my chances on impact and I’ve got the emergency procedures memorized.

The challenges come after the impact. I’m taking an open ocean survival class with Corporate Air Parts where I can go into the water and practice open ocean survival skills to become familiar with how my body responds to hypothermia.

During my flight I’ll be wearing my survival suit and have other items like a life raft, lighted life preservers, dye packets, and fishing gear. My plane has an onboard satellite locator beacon and I’ll wear one around my neck. My survival bag has backup handheld marine and aviation radios as well as a satellite phone. I’m also required to have a couple million dollars in survival insurance and I have evacuation and medical insurance as well.

Once we have mitigated the risk what remains is simple chance and I believe when our time is up it just doesn’t matter what we are doing it will just happen.

Experience makes a difference

Quite simply the more we do something the easier it becomes. We realize that the stories we were telling ourselves simply were not true. Most of the time the things we fear don’t happen. I have to remind myself that this is not my first rodeo and I’ve flown myself to 30 countries in the last three years.

Flying the dirt strips in isolated parts of southern Africa where the terrain was designated “inhospitable” and the rivers were filled with “crocodiles” make this trip seem manageable in comparison.

Use available technology

Amelia Earhart never had GPS satellite technology as part of her plane’s avionics panel. Not to mention that we now have the iPad and iPhone, which are remarkably capable backups and I’ve used them to navigate North of the Arctic Circle! Add to that, Garmin active traffic to deconflict other traffic in flight, terrain avoidance, onboard radar, a lightning strike finder, satellite technology and digital charts with synthetic vision that covers every inch of the planet. Technology these day is remarkable.

Have a support team that you trust to guide you along. You are not alone in your journey!

I have the most amazing team supporting me. Fred Sorenson who has been building ferry tanks for 41 years will be installing my extra fuel and oil tank.

My plane will be painstakingly examined by two of the best repair facilities in Southern California, High performance Aircraft in El Cajon and Advanced Aircraft in San Diego. I have entrusted my safety to both many times. We will be examining the inside of the cylinders, testing oil for signs of metal and of course checking the compression in each cylinder in each to name a few.

Eddie Gould at GASE (General Aviation Support Egypt) is providing route guidance, permits, fuel information, lodging, weather and mechanical support along the way. Eddie and his team have supported many long distance flights and are experts.

Not to mention the air traffic control system that covers most of the globe. English is spoken everywhere and the airways are mapped out and monitored by competent air traffic controllers. Minimum safe altitudes are clearly defined in addition to a myriad of approach and departure procedures that ensure a safe arrival and departure throughout the world.

Training, Training, Training

Let’s not forget the obvious. It ultimately comes down to my ability to handle what situations I’m presented with because for the most challenging parts of the trip I will intentionally be alone. I have been flying my plane for three years now and am intimately familiar with all it’s systems. I have practiced my emergency procedures over and over again. Emergency depressurization, engine out, smoke in the cabin and electrical failure I’ve got it covered. I will also be doing some flights with my instructor and friend, Bill Orland from Bill’s Aircraft. Besides being a great mechanic, Bill has been training pilots for years. He will take me through all the drills one last time before I depart. I will be at the top of my game.

Silence Your Mind

Have you ever heard the expression that FEAR means “False Evidence Appearing Real?” What this means is that 99% of what you are telling yourself is never going to happen. So all we really need to be concerned about is the 1%. So why not stop our storytelling? There is no dividend for freaking out in the cockpit of a plane and for that matter life. What if instead we reminded ourselves about the times we kicked ass and persevered? As Don Miguel Ruiz says, “if you are going to tell yourself a story you might as well make it a good one!”

So if we do these things then what? Well for one, you aren’t seeing your world through the filter of fear. Things are going to look very different.

And what about the competition? Quite honestly, at this level, there isn’t much. The pyramid is pretty steep and you are going to stand out and be pretty special while everybody else gives up, splits or just decides to stand on the sidelines and watch. And the best part is the more you confront your fears the easier it gets to overcome and your confidence starts to build.

So maybe this fear thing is manageable and your body is just tipping you off that you have a little work to do with a lesson or two to learn? It might even be fair to say that all of this is happening just as it was intended and whoever set all this up really cares for you and wants you to live a full and complete life after all. It’s not a type of cosmic punishment tailored for you. You are actually loved…unconditionally. And this situation will be presented over and over again until you get past it. Much like a parent trying to patiently teach their child something that is important for them to learn. The parent doesn’t give up and neither does life. The lesson will be taught as many times as is necessary.

Unless of course you are afraid of being your very best :-). For more information on pursuing your passions, manifesting the abundance of time and resources read my other blog posts.

One Part Inspiration. One Part Real Life Advice.
That's Flying Thru Life!

If you enjoyed reading this post and would like to make sure you never miss reading the next one, just enter your email below.